


Read The Consequences of Befriending Gerard Way (frerard)

by trustruth



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Bullying, Homophobia, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, Transphobia, asexual mikey, happy ending dont worry, nonbinary gerard, trans frank
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 17:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6667780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trustruth/pseuds/trustruth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank Iero is perfectly content to keep his head down and get through his new high school without befriending anyone, keeping his life simple until he can convince his mom to let him start testosterone. His plan is shattered within the first day of school, when he meets Gerard Way, the snappy, beautiful student with eyeliner and an aesthetic blog on tumblr (don't tell anyone).<br/>From there on, Frank is faced with the ups and downs of Gerard's life, constantly second guessing his decision to be their friend, if out of kindness to his own heart at least, because if there's one thing harder than being Gee's friend, it's being in love with them.<br/>Or, the one in which everyone is queer.</p><p>some upsetting stuff. no rape or self harm. contains suicidal ideation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> I copy pasted this from (my own!!) wattpad so some italics are messed up

Frank liked to believe he was a pacifist. He didn't _like_ violence, at least. Everyone who knew Frank would beg to differ. He was a hot headed kid, always getting into trouble for believing in things 'too much.' Frank would rebuff that by saying 'no one ever changed the world by sitting back and not doing anything.' So, _maybe_ punching people who yelled slurs at him didn't change the world, but at least Frank tried to justify his actions. Sometimes that justification was simply 'they said I wasn't a boy, I just had to prove them wrong.' In this case in particular, Frank didn't think he had to justify anything, he was just doing what he thought was right.

It was Frank's first day of eleventh grade, and his first day at Bellview high school. He'd changed schools due to his aforementioned 'pacificity' and a fight that ended with him in the hospital, which is a story for another time, _thank you very much_. He'd walked into the ugly brick school building with the same knot he always had in his stomach when he went to school, fear that he'd be harassed as usual or his name and pronouns would be completely disregarded. But, Frank had made it through his first classes quite well, not seeing anyone who stood out as too much of an asshole. Perhaps changing schools wasn't such a bad idea! He hadn't even had to talk to anyone.

Everything was going well until lunch. Frank had wandered outside to sit in the shade behind the school and drink a soda or play a game on his phone when he saw one of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen. They had black hair that was pinned back on one side, the rest falling in messy clumps at neck level. They had a soft face and bright eyes, lined with a little eyeliner, Frank noticed as he walked a little closer to them. They were leaning up against the wall he'd been planning on hanging out by, talking to a younger boy, perhaps a ninth grader? Frank didn't pay close attention to him, because _damn_ were they pretty. Frank hadn't noticed he'd stopped walking until they turned to look at him with a confused expression, saying something to the younger boy.

"Hey!" They called to him. "New kid!"

Frank stiffened and walked over to them, nodding awkwardly. "Hi," he said in a quiet voice. He'd been content not speaking, it meant no one would hear his voice.

The person was only a few inches taller than Frank, but they held their ground in a mildly intimidating way.

"I saw you staring," they said. "What were you thinking? Gonna call me some slur?" They spat with venom in their voice.

"Gee," the boy said. "Calm down."

"I wasn't! I was thinking your eyeliner was really good," he sputtered.

The person-- Gee, had the boy said?-- looked at Frank in utter disbelief. "Oh I- I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped it's just--"

"Hey, tranny!" Frank whirled around to see who had shouted. He spotted a group of guys, mean looking kids, standing on the edge of the soccer field opposite the wall.

Gee grimaced. " _That's_ why I assumed you were staring," they muttered as one of the guys walked over.

"Hey, Gerard, see you've got a new boyfriend here?" He said, motioning to Frank. "Didn't think _two_ people would like she-males like you."

Frank felt the anger rise in his throat like bile. What _right_ did this asshole have to harass Gee? What made him think it was okay to throw around slurs like that? He balled his fists and gritted his teeth, biting back his shouts at the kid.

Gee sighed. "I _told_ you, Devin, Mikey's my little brother and I am not a 'she-male'," they said, their voice tired, as if they'd said this a thousand times.

"Whatever, tranny," Devin spat. "I'll have my way with you fags before the day's over."

Frank scowled. "Why not go now, asshole?" He shouted. "What makes you think you can use slurs like that towards people? What makes you think any of this is okay?"

Devin turned towards Frank, towering over the much smaller boy. "Who're you?"

"I'm Frank."

"Ain't that a boy's name?"

And that was it. Frank swung his fist, his knuckles meeting Devin's cheek hard and with purpose. Devin stumbled backwards, pressing a hand to his cheek.

"What the fuck?" He growled. "Who knew a butch like you could punch."

"I'm a _boy_!" Frank spat, throwing another punch.

It felt good, the blood running hot in his veins. Hopefully this Devin kid wouldn't bother him again; most people he punched didn't. He grinned proudly, but his self proclaimed victory was premature. The last thing he saw was a fist flying towards his face and then he was on the ground, staring up at the clear September sky.

"Oh my god," Gee said, kneeling down next to Frank and helping him sit up. "That _asshole._ Why'd you punch him, you idiot! You're lucky if you're not expelled by the end of the day!"

Frank blinked groggily, holding his head. "He punches really hard," Frank said in a small voice.

"Let's get him to the nurse," Gee's brother said, grabbing Frank's arm and helping him up.

"I don't need to go to the nurse," Frank protested. "I'm okay!"

Gee glared at him. "You just got knocked out, _we are taking you to the nurse._ "

Frank sighed and they started walking back towards the entrance to the school. "You don't even know me, you don't have to do this."

Gee laughed, light and airy. A beautiful laugh to match a beautiful face, Frank thought. "You punched a homophobe the first time you met him. You may as well be my best friend."

Gee's brother nodded. "You haven't met Gerard if you don't think they'll proclaim anyone their best friend on first sight."

Gee laughed again. "Shut up, Mikey. I do _not_ call people my best friend at first sight."

"What about Ray? You told me I had to befriend him so that you could pet his hair."

"I didn't say he was my best friend!"

"You said you wanted to use his head as a stuffed animal."

"I was freaky in eight grade!"

Frank found himself laughing hard at the sibling's conversation, the laughter only worsening the pounding in his head, but still enjoying himself. He felt safe, even though he was just punched unconscious. They entered the school building and Gee led the way to the nurses office.

"So, anyways," Gee said. "I'm Gerard Way, or Gee, call me what ever you want but use singular they pronouns. That's a must. And Mikey's my kid brother."

"I'm only two years younger than you!"

"My _baby_ brother. And you are...?" Gerard asked, cocking their head to the side like a dog.

"I'm Frank Iero. Nice to meet you."

Gerard nodded. "I like him," they said to Mikey. "Let's keep him."

"Gee! Don't be so freaky! You _just_ met him!" Mikey exclaimed, pushing his glasses up from where they were falling off the bridge of his nose. He wore them in an odd fashion, with long chunks of hair _under_ them and the glasses themselves never stayed up. If Frank hadn't ever talked to him, he'd probably only think one thing of the kid: _nerd_. But having talked to him, Frank decided he was a cool nerd, or at least a _nice_ one.

Gerard pushed open a door at the end of the hallway and led Frank into the nurses office. The room was all white, lit brightly by sunlight and awful florescent lights. It smelled of antiseptic and mint. An elderly woman with a sharp nose and beady eyes looked up from behind an ancient computer at the trio who just entered.

"Oh, Gerard! You brought a new friend."

Gerard nodded with a smile. "Hi Mrs. Hunt. This is Frank. He got knocked out cause he punched Devin for being an idiot."

"Devin? And he's still in school?"

Gee raied their eyebrows. "I know! I keep expecting the principal to show up and cart him off to some other school!"

Mrs. Hunt nodded sharply. "This school and it's family ties. Always gets on my nerves. Alright then, Frank, let's have a look at you." The nurse got up from her and sat Frank down on a tall stool. "Follow my finger, good, good. Alright, is your vision impaired in any way? Are you seeing spots?"

Frank shook his head.

"Well then, unless you have brain trauma, I think the worst you'll have is a bruise," Mrs. Hunt said.

"Well that's a comforting thought," Gerard laughed. "He doesn't have brain trauma, right?" They added in a concerned voice.

"No, Gee, he's fine. Just let me put his visit into the computer. What's your name, love?"

Frank bit his lip. "Frank Iero."

"How do you spell that?"

"I-E-R-O," Frank said, listening to Mrs. Hunt tap at her keyboard with worry.

"Ah... I only have one Iero listed... Frances?"

Frank scowled. "I know. It's just Frank though, alright?"

"Of course, Frank," Mrs. Hunt smiled at Frank's suprised look. "You'd be surprised at how much this old lady knows about all this LGBT stuff. It's what I get for having two wonderful gay children and Gerard in here all the time. They can go _on and on_ about equal rights and all sorts of stuff."

Frank smiled a relived smile. At least he knew of one safe place to go in the school, this little bubble with people who wanted to be friends with him and an authority figure who understood. Honestly, the day wasn't so bad, despite having gotten punched in the face. Frank thought that he might even make it through the year.

But that happy little bubble was popped as a tall, looming middle aged man stepped into the room, followed by a smug looking Devin. Frank felt his blood run cold with dread. _This is what Gee meant when they said they were surprised I was still here_ , he thought. _My mom's gonna kill me_.

"Is there a Frank here?" The man, presumably the principal, said, glaring around the room.

Frank nodded, worrying his bruised knuckles with anxiety.

"Come to my office," the principal said.

"Wait! Mr. Hayes!" Gee piped up. "I know what this is about, Frank was just trying to help!"

"I don't care what you think happened, Mr. Way," he said. Frank saw Gerard flinch at the 'mister'. "Devin here says Frank punched him, and violence will not be tolerated on school grounds."

"He knocked me out!" Frank said in disbelief.

"Do you have any proof of that?" The principal asked cooly.

Mrs. Hunt stood up. "That boy has bruising on the side of his face due to a fist being planted there, _and_ both Gerard and Mikey saw Devin punch him."

The principal sighed. "Alright. All of you to my office."

Frank, Gee, and Mikey followed him out of the safety of the nurses office and down the hall to the principal's. He led them into the much darker room and sat them all down in chairs in front of his desk. The room only had one window, closed off with blinds, and the lights gave it an empty feel. A room where hopes and spirits got crushed.

"So," he said. "I'm principal Hayes, as most of you know, and it's the _first day of school_. I do not want to have to suspend any of you."

"Gee and Mikey did nothing!" Frank said quickly. "Devin said some really offensive things!"

Principal Hayes glared at him. "That is your side of the story."

"And what's his?" Gee asked. "That he just walked up and Frank punched him?"

Devin grinned. "Yes, actually. I was just trying to say hi to her."

" _Him_ ," Frank, Gee, and Mikey said in unison.

"The kid punched me! Twice!" Devin protested.

Hayes sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I really don't want to suspend anyone on their first day. I'll let you off with a detention tomorrow, _all_ of you. Please refrain from getting into any more fights or the punishment will be _much_ harsher."

Hayes dismissed them to go to class; they'd all missed the class after lunch. Frank and Gerard both had English, so they bade farewell to Mikey and set off to class, down the hallways slowly filling with students as classes ended.

Gee tucked a strand of their hair behind their ear. "It's really cool what you did. I've never had the courage to punch any of those asshats."

"I was just standing up for what's right," Frank said, shrugging modestly.

"But, don't do it again, Frank? I don't want you to get into trouble," Gerard bit their lip and their face showed genuine concern. "I really don't."

Frank was taken aback. "I won't. I'll try at least... for you."

Gee smiled as they reached the classroom. "Thank you," they said.

Frank decided then and there that he would do anything to protect and please Gerard Way.

It was either the best or the worst decision of his life.

**Ahhh okay! So I'm going to try to finish Way Exorcism Consultants before continuing this because that only has two chapters left, but this one will be _long_. I already like it, but it'll be slow going. Thank you so much for reading this! Votes and comments always appreciated  <3**


	2. Two: Gee is an artist on paper and on their face

Frank woke to his phone alarm going off obnoxiously loud and groaned. _School_ , he thought, _legal fucking torture_. Before he could convince himself that he could stay in bed for just a little longer, thinking about legal torture in both schools and in it's use in the military, Frank pulled himself out of bed and stretched.

Then he remembered. He had _friends_ to see at school. Frank hadn't had friends at his last school, at least after he'd come out. His mood brightened considerably as he thought about how awesome it was that he had friends. Well, Mikey wasn't in his grade but he was a cool enough kid. Gerard, though... they were a great deal cooler than Mikey, at least in Frank's eyes. Frank felt a smile form on his face as he pulled out some clothes, all black, typical for him. He searched around in his pile of dirty clothes he'd left on the floor last night for his binder. When he found it, he sniffed at it, worried it would smell like dirty socks or something. Thank god it didn't, so he pulled off his shirt and struggled into the tight garment before he could feel too uncomfortable with his godforsaken fat sacks on his chest. He finished getting dressed and left his room.

"Morning, mom!" Frank said, walking into the kitchen in search of breakfast.

"Good morning, sweety," Linda Iero said, waving a hand at her son. "We're out of milk."

"Really? Shi-- shoot," Frank said, opening the fridge and pulling out some yogurt.

"You're in a good mood," Linda remarked as Frank spooned out some yogurt into a bowl. "It's only seven, why are you _smiling?_ "

Frank laughed. "Am I not allowed to be excited for school? Isn't that every parent's dream?"

Linda scowled. "No, it's freaking me out, Frank. You're _never_ excited for school."

"I have friends!" Frank said, eating a spoonful of yogurt. "Actual, real friends!"

"Oh, I'm so happy for you! Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" Linda asked. She would never tell him, but Linda had been scared Frank wouldn't find friends, that he'd retreat like he did at his old school.

"You got home late," Frank said, taking another bite. "Gerard and Mikey. They're siblings. Mikey's like a ninth grader but he's pretty cool. Gerard's in my grade and they're really cool. Maybe you'll meet them soon."

Linda nodded as Frank finished his breakfast. "So, they seem like good boys? Not a bad influence, right?"

Frank rolled his eyes. "No, mom. And Gerard's not a boy."

Linda looked confused. "A girl?"

"Guess again," Frank said. "I don't know actually. It's kinda rude to ask when you first meet someone but they use they pronouns."

"Ah okay, sweety," Linda nodded understandingly. "Now, you'd better get going if you don't want to be late."

Frank sighed. "Fine. Bye, mom!" He said as he went to his room to grab his bookbag and shoes. He waved to Linda as he left the house and began his walk to school.

His walk to school was a little long, but Frank found it very enjoyable. He put in his headphones and put on some music, a small smile still on his face from his morning realization. Frank approached the park and decided to cut through it to save on his walk time. Frank loved the park, the small play ground he'd spent his childhood on and the benches he'd sat on while dog watching. Frank loved dog watching just as people liked bird watching. He could sit for ages watching dogs run around, playing fetch or playing with each other. Frank _loved_ dogs, but Linda insisted they couldn't take care of one. As soon as Frank got his own place, he was getting at least one dog. Frank's good mood dropped slightly as he passed through the park without seeing a single dog, but it wasn't enough to make his mood go to it's usual pre-school places. He had friends to see, he wasn't gonna let a lack of dogs get to him.

Frank reached the school fifteen minutes before class started, searching around for his locker. He found it eventually and put his stuff for all of his classes after lunch inside before heading to his first period class. He had chemistry, oh joy. Frank wasn't great in school; he passed his classes fine, but he was a straight-B student. Well, maybe he wasn't a _straight_ student, but he didn't get great grades. Frank loitered around the classroom, the five minutes before class started passing painfully slow.

"Frank!"

At the call of his name, Frank looked up to see Gerard walking towards him. They were wearing a misfit's t-shirt and skinny jeans. _Really_ skinny jeans. They're hair wasn't pinned back like it had been yesterday, so it hung around they're neck in a graceful mess. They're winged eyeliner was better than most girls' Frank knew.

"Hey, Gee," Frank smiled. "You're in chem?"

"Yeah, silly. I had class with you yesterday," Gerard said, pouting. They leaned against the wall next to Frank. "Did you not notice me?"

"I was kinda trying to keep my head down," Frank said apologetically.

"I get it," Gee said. "Hey, do you have a piece of paper?"

Frank opened his bag and tore off a sheet of loose leaf from a notebook, handing it to Gerard. They pulled out a pen from their messenger bag and scribbled down a set of numbers. They handed the paper back to Frank.

"It's my phone number. I know I'll forget to ask later, so I'll just give it to you now."

Frank nodded, his heart pounding— no one had ever given him their phone number— as the chemistry teacher unlocked the classroom and let the students in.

Gee took a seat towards the back and motioned for Frank to sit down with them. Frank took the seat and pulled out his notebook and a pencil as the teacher began to talk. He absentmindedly jotted down a few notes, trying to pay attention.

About halfway through the class, Frank glanced down at Gee's notebook, to see them drawing in their notebook instead of taking notes. It took him a few seconds to realize what they were drawing but then he saw it. Gerard was drawing _him_ and it was really good. He was looking down at his notebook, eyebrows pulled slightly together. His jaw was slightly accentuated, and Frank was in awe of how beautifully Gee had drawn him. He felt a blush crawling up his cheeks as Gee raised their eyes and met Frank's. They gave him a small grin, pushing their notebook over so that Frank could see better.

Frank scribbled in the corner of his own notebook, _you're really good!!_

Gerard wrote something under it, _thanks! Helps to have a good model_

Frank's blush deepened and Gerard took their notebook back, shading the drawing a bit more. Frank went back to taking notes, occasionally glancing over at Gerard's notebook, where they were still sketching.

As class finished, Gerard tore the sheet of paper out of their notebook and gave it to Frank.

"You keep it," Gee said as they packed their stuff into their bag. "What class do you have now?"

"Um..." Frank got up with Gerard and they walked out of the classroom. "Math."

"Aw, that sucks. I have art. Well, I'll see you in English?" Gee said.

"Yeah," Frank said, waving as Gerard waved and turned to go to the art classroom. "Bye."

\---

After English, lunch blessedly came. Frank followed Gee to the lunchroom, where they grabbed the most edible looking food they could and looked for a table. There was a vacant table in the corner of the room, and Gerard eagerly led Frank to it. Before Frank could sit down, Mikey and another kid, very tall with a crazy afro, showed up.

"Hi, Ray!" Gee said. "Did Mikey drag you over here?"

"I did _not_!" Mikey protested, sitting down across from Gerard and Frank.

"He did," the kid with the 'fro said.

"Fuck you, Ray," Mikey scowled, before his expression brightened as he saw something over Frank's shoulder. "Pete! Patrick!" He called, waving.

Two more boys came over, a ginger and a kid who looked just a little too emo for 2015 and sat down.

"Hey," the ginger said. "Who's this?" he asked, nodding at Frank.

Gee ruffled Frank's hair and Frank frantically tried to slap their hand away. "This is Frank. He's new. He's an idiot but he's kinda nice."

"Wow I'm so flattered," Frank deadpanned.

"I'm Patrick," the ginger said. "And this is Pete."

The emo boy looked over and stopped talking to Mikey. "Hi."

"What grade are you in?" Patrick asked Frank as the conversation at the rest of the table began to swell.

"Eleventh."

"Cool. Me'n Ray are in tenth. Pete and Mikey are the baby freshmen," Patrick said.

"I'm not a baby!" Mikey yelled from the other end of the table.

Frank laughed. These people seemed cool, Frank thought he could be friends with them. He took a bite of a vaguely mashed potato-like substance and hoped that he didn't _actually_ bit into a piece of chalk in the mixture.

"So, Frank," Ray began. "How'd you end up here?"

"What do you mean by _here_?" Frank asked nervously.

"This table. You must be pretty cool for Gerard to make you their friend."

"Why does everyone say I force people into friendships with me?" Gee sighed, throwing their hands in the air.

"I punched an asshole in the face and then he knocked me out," Frank explained.

Ray's eyes widened. "Why? Please don't be like Pete and pick fights you can't finish, _please_."

"I'm a pacifist!" Frank said, and Mikey laughed. "He was being a homophobic, transphobic, _rude_ asshole. I _had_ to punch him, for his own good."

Gee threw an arm around Frank and pulled him into an awkward side hug, petting his hair. "Yep, Frank's my knight in shining armor. He punched Devin for me."

Frank blushed, trying to escape from Gerard's embrace. "Sh-shut up," he said.

"Has anyone seen Bob?" Gerard asked, strengthening their grip on Frank like a boa constrictor as he struggled.

"Right here." Frank heard someone say. He caught a glimpse of Bob as he sat down, short blond hair and a blank expression. "My math teacher held me after class. Something about not yelling at people in class."

"I assume you didn't pay attention to her," Gerard laughed. "Bob, this is Frank. He's new and gets into a lot of fights, so if you see him trying to start one, _please_ step in. His face is too pretty for people to keep bruising him up."

Frank's seemingly ever present blush around Gerard deepened.

"Sure," Bob said. "Hey, did you get the homework for math, Frank? I threw my paper out."

"Sure," Frank said, pulling out his math homework. He passed it to Bob, who snapped a photo of it and passed the sheet back to Frank.

"Ooh, Frank!" Gee said. "Come to my place after school?"

Frank inhaled sharply, surprised at the sudden request. "Okay."

Gee smiled and Frank's heart skipped a beat.

\---

Frank met Gerard outside the school after their last class. They were talking with Mikey and Ray when Frank showed up, waving at the small group.

"Hi," Frank said, fidgeting. School always made him fidgety; too many hours spent not moving. Frank actually liked exercising, but he couldn't do it too often, as he couldn't _safely_ exercise in his binder.

Gee grinned when they saw him. "Hey! Ray's coming over too."

"Cool," Frank said. Ray seemed really cool; Frank had no qualms against him coming with them.

"Okay, let's go." Gerard led them to the parking lot and unlocked a beat up sedan.

"I call shotgun!" Mikey said, jumping into the passenger side seat before anyone could say otherwise.

Ray and Frank sat down in the back with much less excitement compared to the youngest boy. Gerard started the car and pulled out of the school parking lot. They drove for about ten minutes before quickly parking on a mostly empty side street. Frank unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to open his door before Ray stopped him.

"We're not there yet," he said as Gee reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a box of makeup wipes.

"My parents will throw a fit if they see me in makeup," Gerard explained as they wiped off their eyeliner and lipgloss with practiced swiftness. They finished and threw the used wipe at Mikey's feet. "Okay, let's go."

Frank hadn't thought that Gee's parents wouldn't be accepting. The thought made him angry, knowing that people could be unsupportive of their own children. Gerard was a great person, they were talented, beautiful, kind, funny. Not seeing them as that, it was cruel. Frank settled back into his seat and Gerard got back on the road.

When they actually reached the Way's house, Frank's anger had lessened. Gerard pulled into the driveway of the quaint house and everyone got out. They went inside, and Frank caught a glimpse of a small kitchen and a living room before Gerard led everyone downstairs into the basement. The basement was a bedroom, Frank saw when Gerard turned on the lights. An unmade bed was pushed under the single tiny window, next to it was a messy desk covered in school work and art. Mikey flopped down on a bean bag chair on the floor and turned on the tv and video game console without a word, Ray joining him. Gerard and Frank took the bed, watching as the two younger boys began to play. 

"So, your parents aren't all that accepting of you?" Frank asked after a few minutes of Mikey and Ray yelling at each other.

Gerard shook their head. "It's alright though. They didn't kick me out or anything. Your parents?"

"My mom's great," Frank said. "One hundred percent accepting. My dad... he left because of it. Mom wouldn't let him kick me out, so he went to have a 'normal' family."

Gerard's face softened. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We keep in touch with the rest of that side of the family, cause they aren't as bad," Frank said. 

"WHAT THE FUCK YOU CHEATING ASSHOLE!" Mikey screamed at Ray, shoving him over. "I give up! Someone else play!"

"Oh! Me!" Gerard snatched the controller from Mikey. "Get ready to be _hammered_ , Ray!"

**\---**

**Second chapter! Whoo! I'm in love with this story lol. The cover is inspired by[PotatoYoghurt](https://www.wattpad.com/user/PotatoYoghurt)'s style because like... whoa those are some nice covers. I also just wanted to photoshop gee into a skirt. Anyways, I have an essay due tomorrow and I haven't started it yet. I wrote this instead. I'm not a very good student.**

**Thank you soooooo much for reading, and please leave a vote or comment! ily'all bye**


	3. Three: Gym class and bad movies

To say the least, Frank was terrified of gym class. Bellview high had no unisex bathrooms, and there was no way in hell he'd be forced into changing in the girl's changing room. On the other hand, if he was in boy's he's be harassed or worse as soon as he took his shirt off. Also, exercising in his binder was basically a guarantee he'd end up with a bruised chest. Luckily, Frank only had gym on Fridays, so he only had to miss one class a week.

That's how Frank found himself hiding under the bleachers at the edge of the football field, hood up to protect from the slight drizzle of rain trickling through the seats.

"Frank?"

Frank looked up at the person calling him. "Gee?"

Gerard was jogging towards him, dark hair covering their face. As they neared, Frank saw that their eyes were red and puffy, as if they'd been crying.

"Gerard!" Frank pulled them under the protection of the bleachers. "What happened?"

Gerard wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Nothing. Why are you here?"

"Skipping gym-- _Gerard_ , seriously, _what's wrong_?"

Gerard fell against Frank, burying their head into Franks shoulder and hugging him tightly. "I thought I might actually try to go to gym this year. Some asshole said he'd kill me if I went into either changing room."

"Oh, Gee," Frank said, running his fingers through Gerard's damp hair. "It's okay, you're okay."

"I am now," Gerard whispered, letting go of Frank and stepping backwards. Frank felt the warmth that Gerard had left on his chest linger even after they parted. "Can I hang here until gym class is done?"

"Yeah, of course!" Frank said. Frank leaned against a support for the bleachers, pulling out his phone and headphones. "Wanna listen to some music?"

Gerard nodded, taking an earbud as Frank opened his phone and began looking through his music. "The Misfits?"

Gerard nodded with a small smile. "That's great." They stood right next to Frank, their shoulders brushing as the music filled the space between them. Gerard stared out at the rain blurred school, their eyes wide and sad, like a deer's. Frank studied their face, the way their messy hair perfectly framed their soft features, the way their eyes, rimmed in dark eyeliner, were still puffy from crying. A small smile crossed his face. _How is it possible for someone to be so perfect_ , Frank thought. Gerard glanced over at him and Frank quickly turned away, knowing he was blushing.

"Hey, wanna come over tonight? We can watch some horror movies," Gerard asked.

"That sounds awesome!" Frank said.

A smile graced Gerard's lips. "Good."

\---

Mikey sat in the very back of his math classroom, next to the radiator that was always on high. Maybe if he was lucky, it would catch something on fire and he could get out of the godforsaken class. The teacher was droning on and on about linear equations or something Mikey had learned about in middle school. Damn, middle school felt like years ago even though he was barely through his first week of high school.

Pete handed Mikey a note under the table. Mikey took it and unfolded the scrap of paper. _Look outside. The track team's running._ Mikey frowned at the note, looking out the window. The track team _was_ running. It was drizzling out, who would want to run in that? Mikey gave the boy next to him a confused look. Pete took the note back and scribbled something.

 _The track uniforms are sexy_ , Pete wrote. _Like, damn_.

Mikey gave him an even more confused look. It was a track uniform, there was nothing sexy about it. He took the paper and wrote, _not really_.

Pete raised his eyebrows, and was about to write something when the teacher called on him to answer a question.

Mikey looked back out of the window. What did Pete find 'sexy' about some girls running around in the rain? They were just running. Mikey sighed and jotted down the homework the teacher was giving them. He packed up his work as the bell rang and headed off towards the cafeteria with Pete.

After Mikey and Pete got the least rotten looking food they could, they took their normal table in the back. Gerard and Frank were already sitting there, both of their hair wet from rain.

"Hi," Mikey said, sitting down across from his sibling. "You're all wet."

"We skipped gym and sat out under the bleachers," Gee explained. "How was math."

Mikey rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and let out a groan that sounded like a dying cow.

"Okay then," Gerard said.

Mikey picked at his food until Ray, Bob, and Patrick showed up a few minutes later; the table was then filled with conversation and he could take his mind off the unexplained sinking feeling he had in his stomach.

As lunch drew to a close, the table emptied as most people left for their next classes. Mikey stood up, taking his trash over to a bin, then turned to Ray.

"Hey, can I come over to your place today?"

"Sure!" Ray said. "As long as you're okay with being crushed in Mario Kart."

"Nah, man, you're going _down,_ " Mikey laughed, his worries temporarily forgotten.

\---

Mikey and Ray waved goodbye to Gerard and Frank as the two parties set off in opposite directions. Ray lived close enough to the school to walk, and it wasn't raining anymore, so Mikey decided not to bum a ride off Gee. The sidewalks were covered with puddles and the two boys often had to jump over them to keep from getting wet shoes. They sky was still low with grey clouds and the comfortable silence between the boys filled with the cool humidity from the rain.

They reached Ray's house, empty as his parents were at work, and Mikey flopped down on the living room couch.

"Wanna watch a movie instead?" Mikey asked as Ray went to turn on the console.

"Sure! What do you wanna watch?"

"I don't really care," Mikey said, stretching his legs out across the couch. "Something with explosions."

Ray put on the first crappy action film he saw and shoved Mikey's legs out of the way to sit on the couch. Mikey folded into himself, pulling his lanky legs up to his chest and watching as the movie started.

About half an hour into it, Mikey and Ray were nearly in tears at how cheesy it was. The crappy one liners and horribly CGI-ed effects. It was about some spy, so of course it was cheesy, and of course there was a 'sexy female sidekick'. At least, that's what everyone told Mikey, cause to him he just saw too much screen time with half naked women doing nothing to progress the plot and not enough hilariously bad writing.

Mikey ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to be thinking about this. No one _actually_ found the 'sexy female sidekick' sexy, right? He sighed and buried his face into his knees.

"You okay?" Ray asked.

Mikey nodded quickly. "Yeah, fine."

Ray looked at him skeptically. "You sure? Usually you love these shitty movies."

"There's just something on my mind. Nothing to worry about," Mikey assured the other boy.

Ray looked unconvinced and paused the movie. "C'mon, Mikeyway. You can tell me anything, you know that, right? No judgement."

Mikey sighed again, pondering if he should tell Ray what he was thinking of. Ray was a good person, Mikey's best friend after Gerard only, and Mikey trusted him. He took a deep breath and mumbled, "I don't find girls sexy."

Ray raised his eyebrows. "So you like guys?"

"No! I..." Mikey paused. "I don't really find _anyone_ sexy. I thought it was all an exaggeration, that no one _really_ wants to fuck each other but... I don't know. I just feel like I'm missing a memo everyone else got when they started puberty."

Ray nodded with a kind smile. "There's a word for that, y'know?"

"Really?" Mikey looked up at the other kid.

"You might be asexual, that's where you don't want to fuck anyone. You're not _broken_ , Mikey, it's normal. There's plenty of ace people out there."

Mikey sat in silence, staring at Ray. He'd heard the term before, just never put a meaning to it. It wasn't crazy that he didn't think the track team was sexy like Pete did or that he didn't see the appeal of the 'sexy female sidekick'. There was a _word for it_. He let out a breath and realized he'd been holding his breath.

"Mikey?"

Mikey lunged at Ray and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you thank you thank you," he said quickly.

"No problem, Mikeyway," Ray laughed. "C'mon, let's get back to the movie."

\---

"Fraaaaank," Gerard groaned from their place on their bed, head hanging over the edge and feet up on the wall. "I'm hungry."

Frank laughed and stood up from in front of the TV where he was taking out the second movie they'd watched. "Let's go get something to eat then."

"But I don't wanna move," Gerard pouted, rolling over onto their stomach.

Frank rolled his eyes and sat down next to Gerard. "Well, it's almost dinner time and I should be home by then so if you want to get food with me we'd better go now."

Gerard's eyes lit up. "Hey! Why don't you sleep over!"

"S-sure!" Frank said. "Can we swing by my house to get some clothes?"

"Sure, let's go," Gee said, pulling themself off the bed. They turned and grabbed Frank by the wrists and hauled him up. "I'll drive."

"You're the one with the car," Frank rolled his eyes again as they walked up the basement stairs and left the house.

The drive to the Iero household wasn't a very long one. Gerard pulled up in front of the low apartment complex.

"I'll only be a minute," Frank said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"I'm coming in," Gerard insisted and followed Frank to his apartment.

"Hi mom!" Frank called when he entered the house. Linda poked her head out of the living room.

"Hi, Frank," she said. "Who's this?" She asked, gesturing to Gerard.

"This is Gerard, they're my friend," Frank explained.

"Nice to meet you, Gerard," Linda said, shaking Gee's hand.

"I wanted to grab some clothes so I could sleep over at their house." Frank said. "It's Friday so, can I?"

Linda looked Gerard up and down, trying to find an obvious reason why her son couldn't go. "Sure, Frank, but I want you back here at 10 am tomorrow."

"Great," Frank said. "C'mon, Gee, I'll show you my room."

Gerard followed Frank into his bedroom and Frank pulled a few things out of his dresser and shoved them into his backpack. He finished and turned around to see Gerard inspecting the room.

"S-sorry it's messy," Frank apologized quickly.

"You play guitar?" Gerard asked, spotting his guitar in the corner. It was beat up and cheep; he'd bought it at a yard sale for ten bucks.

"Yeah."

"I'd love to hear you play some time," Gerard said and Frank blushed. _God dammit how do they do this to me?_ Frank thought. "You done?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Frank waved goodbye to his mother as the two teenagers stepped out of the apartment and headed back to Gerard's car. Frank settled into the passenger seat and Gerard drove off.

"Your mom's pretty cool," Gerard said. "She didn't question my pronouns."

"Yeah, I told her about that," Frank explained. "She's got it pretty much down, changing pronouns for people and shit."

Gerard hummed a response. "Wish my parents were like that."

Frank looked over at them with sympathy. He could see the hurt in their eyes, and Frank hated their parents a little bit more than the last time he'd heard about them.

\---

Frank was blushing like an idiot, and his only cover was the darkness of Gerard's room. It was close to midnight, and they'd just finished another movie. They were both on Gerard's bed, facing the tv and pressed into each other. The warmth between them was soothing and perfect and Frank could focus on little other than it.

"Hey, let's change. I don't wanna fall asleep in my jeans."

Frank nodded and got out of the bed, cold air covering his previously, perfectly warm side.

"You can change in the bathroom," Gerard suggested. "And," they added as Frank stepped into the tiny en suit bathroom. "Take your binder off."

"I will, Gee," Frank said as though it was obvious, but in reality, if they hadn't said that, Frank probably would have slept in it. He always got anxious when people saw him without it, but this was _Gerard_. It was different, they understood.

Frank changed quickly into a pair of flannel pants and a baggy shirt, keeping his eyes closed as he exposed his chest. He finished and brushed his teeth before rejoining Gerard. They'd changed too, into matching bright pink pajamas. Frank giggled when he saw them; their bright pants contrasting with their messy black hair.

"What?" Gerard asked.

"Nothing," Frank said quickly, flopping down onto the bed.  "I'm sleepy."

Gerard lay down next to him. "Me too."

"Do you want me to sleep on the floor?" Frank asked cautiously.

"No, no," Gerard said. "Not unless you want to and the floor is hard as fuck."

Frank graciously accepted his place on the bed as Gerard turned off the lights. Gerard curled up on their side, facing Frank.

"G'night, Frank."

"Night, Gee."

\---

It took Frank a moment to remember where he was when he woke up. He felt warm, and there was a soft weight against his chest. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Gerard's back pressed against his side, a content and peaceful look on their face. A little bit of morning sunlight trickled through the single window and cast a soft light around the room. Frank stroked Gerard's soft locks absentmindedly before quickly drawing his hand back and sliding out of bed. Gerard stirred as Frank went into the bathroom and changed out of his pajamas.

 _What the fuck are you thinking, Iero,_ Frank thought to himself. Gerard was pretty and kind and perfect, but Frank couldn't be cuddling with them! He couldn't have a... No. He was not allowed to fuck up his first real friendship since he came out by falling for them. No way. No Way, either.

Frank finished changing and as he opened the bathroom door he saw Gerard sitting up, rubbing their eyes.

"Morning," Gee said, stretching.

"Morning," Frank mumbled.

"You must be magic or something, cause I slept _great_." Gee slid out of bed and ruffled Frank's hair. "Cmon, let's get breakfast."

There was no way Frank Iero had a crush on Gerard. No way. He totally wasn't blushing like an idiot and cursing himself as he followed Gerard upstairs. No way in hell.

Except he did and he was.

Frank was screwed.

\---

**I think this is the longest chapter yet... Also, Mikey plot! His plotline is not the main focus but you'll see the story from his perspective once or twice every few chapters cause why the fuck not? Thank you for reading! Ily xx**


	4. Four: And so marks a month

September left and with it did the last hints of summer in the air. October began with a clear blue sky and crisp air, snapping at Frank's exposed skin when he left the house and urging Linda to remind him to wear a sweater every day. Life was simple, a routine, go to school, hang with friends, do homework, sleep over at Gerard's. Frank couldn't ask for more.

Frank was sitting in the cafeteria at lunch, talking to Ray about some new movie they were planning to see when Gerard let out a dramatic gasp.

"What is it?" Patrick asked. "Forgot your chem homework?"

"No, no! It's been a month!"

"A month since what?" Mikey asked.

"A month since school started! So that's a month since you and Pete started high school, a month since we met Frank, and it's been a _great month,_ " Gerard said, eyes bright and gesturing excitedly.

"Oh god, not your first month thing again," Bob rolled his eyes.

"A good first month of anything means that it will be good until the end," Gerard continued, glaring at Bob. "It's never failed."

Frank sniggered. "That's great, Gee," he said, and meant it.

"See, Bob, _someone_  believes me!" Gerard said, pulling Frank under their arm. Frank laughed and pushed Gee off of him. "I just want people to have good lives, is that too much to ask?"

\---

"Hey, fags!"

Frank sighed and glanced over at Gee as they walked down the hall to English. "Don't engage," he said. "We're gonna be late."

Gerard rolled their eyes. "I know. It still fucking sucks."

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Frank felt a hand on his shoulder and he spun around to see Devin grinning devilishly at him.

"Fuck off," Frank groaned, slapping Devin's hand away and continuing to walk.

Devin spat in Frank and Gerard's direction, but moved on. Gerard ran a hand through their hair, nervously staring at the ground.

"What is it, Gee?" Frank asked, putting a comforting hand on their arm. "Devin's just an asshole, you know he is."

Gerard met Frank's eyes briefly before moving their gaze away. "It's not just him, it's... I wish it wasn't his first thought to see me as... well... 'fag' has such a male connotation I just... I don't want to be seen as _male_  and it's just such a reminder that I can't pass for female-- I don't even know if I _want_ to pass as female... maybe if I could fit in as one gender..."

"Oh, Gee..." Frank tucked a strand of their hair behind their ear. "Don't let what idiots like him say define who you are. You don't need to fit into any gender. You're _perfect,_  Gee. Don't ever think otherwise."

Gerard looked up at Frank, their eyes watery. "Thank you, I mean it."

Frank smiled. "C'mon. We're late to English."

They got to English only two minutes late, hurrying in with a quick nod to the teacher. Frank sat down at his desk. Gerard sat behind him, so Frank couldn't watch as they doodled in their notebooks. Watching Gee draw had become a past time in all of the classes he had with them, and Gee was really good at it. Sometimes they'd sneak their sketchbook out and draw in there, working on elaborate character designs or sometimes even short comics. Frank could get lost watching them move their pencil with practiced expertise, light sketches becoming boldly lined and shaded. Unfortunately for Frank, he would get distracted from the drawings by Gee's face, concentrated, eyes bright. It was one of Frank's favorite expressions to see on them, second only to their smile.

 _God_ , Frank was fucked.

When the class finally ended, Frank and Gerard were free from school.

"Hey," Frank said, stopping in his tracks as he walked with Gee towards the parking lot. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Gerard asked.

"I'm taking you shopping. Can we stop by my house quickly?" Frank smiled when he saw Gee's face light up.

"Sure," they said.

\---

The mall wasn't very large, a few big-brand stores and small local shops scattered in between. It was mostly empty, as it was only Wednesday, not a big shopping time. Frank had agreed to take Gee anywhere they wanted as long as they didn't spend more than fifty bucks, which was all Frank had.

They passed the shoe store (closed) and the music store (Frank lingered before Gee yanked him away, laughing) to the biggest store there, an Old Navy. The two teens entered the nearly empty store and Frank noticed a nervous look on Gerard's face as they steered away from the men's section.

"Hey, you can get whatever you want," Frank said. "Don't worry about anything, okay? If anyone even _looks_  at you wrong, I'll punch them."

"And you call yourself a pasifist," Gerard said, messing up Frank's hair.

Frank stood next to Gee as they browsed through a rack of shirts, all too colorful for their usual style in Frank's opinion. They moved on quickly, not choosing anything. The next rack over they found a simple grey tank top and held it up against their chest.

"You think it would fit?"

Frank nodded. "Get another size up and you can try them on."

Gerard smiled. "You're so smart," they said, giving Frank a soft punch to the arm. "Oh, what about this?" they said, looking past Frank at another rack. They walked over to it and pulled off a simple black skirt.

"That would look great on you," Frank said. "Although, you'd look great in anything."

"Oh, shut it, Iero," they said with a giggle, causing Frank to blush and become suddenly very interested in the fabric of some shirt next to him. "C'mon, I'm gonna go try these on," Gee said, holding up their small stack of clothing.

Frank nodded and they headed over to the changing rooms. A woman around twenty handed Gerard a tag for one of the stalls with only a slightly raised eyebrow, which Frank was grateful was as far as the skepticism went. Frank sat down on a cushioned bench outside and awkwardly fulfilled the roll of 'man who did _not_  want to come shopping' even though it was his idea in the first place.

After a minute or so, the sales woman said, "you must be one hell of a boyfriend to handle shopping this well."

Frank started. "I- we- We're not dating."

"Well then, you're a great friend," she said. "It's always nice seeing supportive people in here."

Frank smiled. "It is."

"Fraank!" Gerard called from their stall. "Come in here!"

The saleslady nodded approvingly as Frank slid into the stall. Gerard was standing in the middle of it, in the black skirt and a striped sweater. The skirt fell just above their knees and accentuated the curve of their hips. The look on their face was of total joy, and Frank couldn't help but smile back at them.

"You look great," he said.

"I know clothes aren't everything and yaddayaddayadda, but, _Frank_." They spun around, looking at themself in the mirror. "I feel so _pretty_."

"You _are_  pretty, Gee," Frank assured them.

Gerard grabbed Frank and higged him tightly. "Thank you so so so much."

"Any time," Frank said, holding the moment in his brain, a perfect snapshot. He never wanted to let go. But eventually he did. "I'm gonna let you change out of that," he said quickly and left the stall to take his seat outside again.

The saleslady winked at Frank as Gerard came out of the changing room and said a quick thanks to her.

"You two have a nice day," she waved as they headed to the checkout.

"She seems nice," Gerard noted.

"Yeah."

\---

"Why didn't you tell us your birthday is on Halloween?!" Mikey practically screamed. "Not only is that awesome, but you can have a _costume party_!"

"You're way to excited about this, Mikey," Frank said as he walked down the hall with the younger boy.

"I'm just the right amount of excited. We're gonna have a party," Mikey said with finality.

Frank crossed his arms. "Well, don't make it about me. It's halloween. Shouldn't you be out trick or treating?"

"I'm not _ten_ ," Mikey protested.

"You're basically ten."

"Hey, at least I'm taller than _you_!" Frank playfully shoved Mikey away from him.

"Meany."

"Anyways, yeah, we're having a party!" Mikey continued. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything!"

Mikey squinted his eyes. "Hm..."

"What?"

"I know what you want," Mikey said. "I can get you it, too."

"Oh, come on, Mikeyway. You can't read minds," Frank laughed.

"But I can read body language, so yeah, I know what to get you."

"Stop being so vague!"

"No way!"

They entered the cafeteria and met up with Pete in line for the 'food' the school deemed 'edible'. When they got to the usual table, Patrick pulled Pete down next to him as Mikey and Frank sat down on the other side, next to Bob and Ray. Gerard sat down a few seconds later, and Frank noticed that they were wearing the sweater he'd bought for them yesterday.

"Guys, guys," Mikey said. "Frank's birthday is on halloween, so guess what?"

Frank covered his face and groaned.

"We're having a big ass party! Who's down?"

A chorus of 'hell yeah's and 'sure's filled the table, along with one 'no' from Frank.

"Why didn't you tell us you had such a cool birthday?" Ray asked.

"It never came up!" Frank defended himself.

\---

**Well, that's way shorter than it should be and took wayyyy to long. Hopefully the next chapter will be up faster. comment? ily'all bye**

**(also way exorcism consultants is almost done i just gotta write the last chapter or two sorryyy)**


	5. 5: I have to try so hard not to fall in love I have to concentrate when we kiss

Frank stuffed his clothes into his bag, glancing at the time on his phone every couple of seconds. He had an hour or so to kill before he could leave without being early, and he'd already showered, finished his homework, and paced the room since he got home. To say he was excited was wasn't wrong, he was nervous as hell. Frank hadn't had friends in so long, even after well over a month of having them, having a birthday party being thrown for him! It was unimaginable, and Frank was unsure of how he should be reacting. He finished packing and flopped down on his bed, running a hand through his hair. It was getting long; he needed to get it cut.

Frank checked the time on his phone again, then once more. He sighed and got up, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water, anything to make time pass faster.

The front door opened and Linda stepped in, shrugging off her coat. "Hi, baby," she said when she saw Frank in the kitchen. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," he said as his mom gave him a tight hug.

"You sure you don't want to spend your birthday with your good ol' mom?" She asked, messing with his hair.

"I'll be wishing I was home the whole time," Frank promised.

"I hope not!" Linda laughed. "Now, your present..."

Frank's eyes lit up; he was basically a child when it came to presents.

"I don't have it on me because I knew I'd get the wrong kind but..."

"Tell me!" Frank whined.

"I'm getting you a new guitar!"

Frank grinned and hugged his mother. "Thank you! That's the second best thing you could get me!"

Linda pushed her son off of her. "And what would be the first?"

"A dog," Frank said, smiling impishly.

"No way," Linda said, giving Frank one more hug. "Now, are you ready for your party?"

\---

Frank arrived at the Ways' house five minutes early, despite trying to not be early. Mikey swung open the door before Frank could even knock, giving him the sneaking suspicion he'd been watching Frank from a window.

"Happy birthday!" The younger boy exclaimed, giving Frank a quick hug. "Come in, we've got the place to ourselves for the night!"

Frank stepped into the house and took off his jacket, throwing it onto an already building pile of coats next to the door.

"Who else is here already?"

"Ray's been here all day 'helping'," Mikey said, putting air quotes around 'helping'. "He's mostly been killing me at video games while Gee was making your present."

Frank stared agape at Mikey. "I don't need presents! You're throwing me a fucking party I don't need presents too!"

Mikey rolled his eyes. "You try to stop Gee from making you something."

Right on que, Gerard emerged from their bedroom with Ray following them. They were wearing the skirt Frank had bought them, and Frank's smile widened. "Hey, birthday boy!" Gee greeted. "You're what, twelve now?"

"Fuck you, Gee," Frank laughed. "Is there food?"

Gee led everyone into the kitchen, where there was a small pile of chips, a few bowls of salsa and guac, and four heaping bowls of candy. They gestured to it as if presenting a five star meal.

"Plus there's beer in the fridge," they added. "I've promised Mikey he's allowed one beer as long as he doesn't tell our parents."

"I won't tell them!" Mikey yelped as Gee poked his side. "I promise!" He added, crossing his heart.

Ray laughed and grabbed a bowl of candy and a bag of chips. "C'mon, I thought we were gonna watch a movie in the living room."

As they left the kitchen, the doorbell rang and Gerard opened it to see Pete and Patrick standing outside.

After quick greetings and birthday wishes, Gerard grabbed another bag of chips and the teenagers went into the living room to turn on a movie.

"Birthday boy gets to pick the movie!" Gerard proclaimed as they turned on the TV.

"Pick something good, Iero," Patrick said.

Frank scanned the movies on the television screen. "What about Frankenstein?"

"Sure," Gerard said, clicking on it.

The movie started and the room was quiet (save for the opening of candy wrappers and crunching of chips) for about half an hour.

"This is more boring than I expected," Frank remarked after a while.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Pete said excitedly.

"What?" Gerard asked, pausing the movie.

"Truth or dare," Pete said with a devilish glow in his eyes. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

There was a collective eye roll, but honestly, truth or dare seemed more interesting than the movie at that point. Everyone moved so that they were sitting in a circle, some on the couch and others on the floor. Gee sat next to Frank on the ground, their crossed legs almost touching Frank's.

"I'll start," Pete said. "Mikey! Truth or dare!"

"Uh..." Mikey shrugged. "Dare."

"I dare you to... Eat a spoonful of hot sauce!"

Mikey rolled his eyes and stood up, walking into the kitchen and returning with a spoon, a bottle of hot sauce, and a look of dread on his face. He sat back down and poured a small amount onto the spoon.

"C'mon, more," Pete urged the other boy. Mikey sighed and poured out a little bit more before shoving it into his mouth. He grimaced and ran back into the kitchen with a whine.

Frank doubled over laughing as Mikey came back in with a very large glass of milk. The game continued on for a while, and after a half hour Frank had been dared (twice, by Patrick the first time, then Ray) to down a bottle of beer in one go. He wasn't drunk yet, and was keen on keeping it that way. Pete and Gee were pretty drunk, and it was not a very pretty sight— at least in Pete's case. Gerard always looked pretty, warm with alcohol and laughing their head off at every other thing they saw. They kept brushing their hair out of their eyes and Frank wanted to help them pin it back. They always looked so pretty when their hair was back—

"Gerard! Truth or dare!" Mikey called to their sibling.

"Dare," Gerard said.

"I dare you to..." Mikey paused and smirked. "Straddle Frank and give him a kiss— It's his _birthday_ ," he added as incentive.

Frank just about died.

Gerard giggled drunkenly, resting their head on Frank's shoulder. "You okay with that?"

Frank nodded wordlessly as Gerard swung a leg over him gracefully and hovered above him, gripping the collar of his shirt. They grinned, giggling, and Frank could feel their stray hair brushing his cheek. He was blushing like crazy, he knew it, Gerard's lips being mere millimeters away from his own. When their lips met, Frank was unsure as to who closed the distance, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that Gee's lips were on his and _holy shit they were kissing_.

It was over as quick as it started; Gerard pulled away and got off Frank, leaving him in shock and in love.

"Alright!" They said. "Patrick! Truth or dare?"

\---

Patrick found himself in Mikey's room with Pete around two am. They'd retreated from the living room to avoid the crappy romcoms Gerard kept putting on, and Mikey's room had a comfortable bed where Patrick was now sitting. Pete was right next to him, silent as the conversation lulled. Patrick was hyperaware of how their legs were brushing and how Pete's hand was right next to his.

Patrick shut his eyes tight and tried to think about something other than his best friend, who, for some goddamn reason, had been the subject of Patrick's infatuation since eighth grade when they first met.

"Hey." Patrick opened his eyes and looked over at Pete.

"What?" Patrick asked.

Pete bit his lip. "Y-you're gay, right?"

"Yes, Pete, do I need to start crying again like when I came out?" Patrick said in a nonchalant voice, suppressing the other voice, the one screaming _yes I am hella gay for you, Pete Wentz_. "Why do you ask?"

"I-I..." Pete mumbled. "Can you kiss me?"

The room went silent for a good thirty seconds before Patrick sputtered, "Wh- _What?!_ "

Pete blushed deep red. "Sor—"

"Of _course_ I'll kiss you," Patrick assured the younger boy. "It just caught me by surprise."

"Oh," Pete said, turning to face Patrick. Patrick placed a hand on Pete's shoulder and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He pulled back briefly before Pete pushed back, the kiss much less chaste and more intense, mouths open and panting as Pete pinned Patrick down beneath him. Patrick was sure he'd died and gone to heaven because _nothing_ could be as good as kissing Pete.

When they finally broke apart, Pete pushed himself as far away from Patrick as he could.

"Pete?" Patrick asked in a small voice, regret and panic making his voice crack. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't—"

"Don't apologize." Pete glanced up at Patrick. "I liked it, but... I don't wanna give you the wrong idea, I—"

"I'm perfectly okay if you're gay, or bi, or pan or whatever—"

"I don't like you, Patrick."

Patrick felt like someone had hit him in the stomach with a baseball bat. He gaped at Pete, feeling hot tears pricking at his eyes.

"Oh."

"I-I'm sorry," Pete said, but Patrick was already getting up.

"I'm gonna go sleep downstairs." Patrick hissed, refusing to make eye contact with his best friend.

He was _angry_ , so fucking _angry_. At Pete, at _himself_ ; how could he be so stupid as to think Pete could possibly like him? He was untalented, ugly, fat, he didn't deserve Pete. He made his way into the living room where Mikey and Ray were passed out on the floor. Patrick lay down on the couch and curled up on his side, crying as silently as possible.

\---

At some point during the night, Frank and Gerard went down into Gee's room to sleep. Frank woke up around eleven, opening his eyes to see Gerard curled up next to him.

 _I could get used to this_ , Frank thought.

Gee's eyes fluttered open. "Morning," they mumbled, their voice still thick with sleepiness.

"Good morning."

"OH!" Gerard practically shouted. "I need to show you your present!" Frank grumbled and pulled himself out of the bed, followed by Gerard, who rushed to their desk and grabbed a piece of paper off of it. "Happy birthday," he said, handing Frank the paper.

It was a drawing of Frank, done in colored pencils, being carried on the back of a pack of small dogs.

"Oh my god, Gee! This is great!" Frank studied the image before pulling Gerard into a tight hug. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," Gee smiled, messing up Frank's already horrible bedhead. "And uh... thanks for not making that awkward last night, y'know. Keep it platonic and all. I'd say no homo, but I'm not a cishet dude."

 _Of course_ , Frank reminded himself. _Don't get your hopes up, Frank._

"Y-yeah, don't worry about it. It was just a game," Frank said, forcing a smile.

"Good. Now come on. Let's go see who else is up."

Frank and Gerard climbed the stairs out of the basement and headed into the kitchen, where Ray and Mikey were (attempting) to make pancakes. Patrick sat at the kitchen table, (attempting) to act like the pancakes he was eating weren't burnt to crap.

"Where's Pete?" Frank asked.

"He went home like three hours ago," Mikey said. "Dunno how he woke up that early."

Gerard let out a huff. "Hey, can we get some pancakes over here?"

"It's coming!" Ray rolled his eyes. "We're handling it."

Frank sat down next to Patrick, not noticing that his dejected expression was caused by something other than burnt breakfast food.

\---

**Ahhh sorry that a) it's been like over a month or some crazy amount of time and b) that this is really short. ANywaYS IT'S NICE TO BE WRITING AGAIN PLZ COMMENT AND VOTE PRETTY PLEASE** **ily'all see you next time!**

**((edit: title is not mine, it comes from a song... anyone who guesses it will get a prize! Not actually but I'll stalk your account))**


	6. Six: Mama, we all go to hell

Monday came and Patrick was still moping under a little black cloud of rejection. He hadn't talked to Pete after the kiss, and he was trying not to talk to him now. Due to the grade difference, Patrick had made it through the first half of the day without seeing Pete, rushing to and from classes with his head down. But lunch was drawing near and he knew that it would be obvious that he was ignoring Pete around his friends. Patrick ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He wanted to go home, where he could play videogames or watch Netflix and wallow in self pity. He knew he couldn't though, which only put him in a worse mood.

The bell rang and Patrick reluctantly stood up and shuffled into the hallway. He walked to his nearby locker and busied himself with putting away his bag until the crowd in the halls died down a little. He finally closed his locker and decided to go to the bathroom before heading to lunch. He turned a corner and opened the bathroom door. He stepped in saw a familiar head of black hair. Shocked, Patrick hurried back out quickly before Pete could see him, slamming the door and trying to get the image out of his head, but he knew what he'd seen; Pete Wentz about to kiss Mikey.

He didn't know where he was going, rushing blindly through the halls. Patrick stormed out of the building and crumpled against a shaded wall, choking back tears. Of _course_ Pete liked Mikey fucking Way. Who wouldn't? Mikey was pretty and talented, skinny and funny. Patrick took a shuddering breath and broke down into quiet tears.

\---

Before Mikey could reach the lunch room, he was intercepted by Pete, who pulled him away from the promise of (somewhat inedible) food. He tried to resist but Pete's grip was strong on his hand as Pete led him to the boys bathroom.

"Pete!" Mikey protested. "What are you doing?"

Pete pushed open the bathroom door and yanked Mikey inside. He pushed him up against the wall, now pinning both of Mikey's hands to the wall and biting his lip. He tilted his head and leaned in to Mikey's face, about to kiss him when-- _SLAM._ The bathroom door closed sharply, startling Pete, allowing Mikey to shove the other boy off of him.

"What the _fuck_ , Pete?!" Mikey practically screamed. "What the hell were you trying to do?!"

"I guess I..." Pete started. "I like you, Mikey, I like you a lot."

"And you didn't think to _ask_ me before forcing yourself onto me?" Mikey yelled, hot tears pricking at his eyes. He was _scared,_ one of his best friends had basically tried to assault him! Mikey felt his hands tremble as he bit the inside of his cheek.

"I thought you were gay! You never showed any interest in girls--"

"Don't fucking _assume_ you know anything about me!" Mikey choked out. "I didn't show interest because I'm _asexual_!"

Pete stared at the other boy for a few seconds before turning around and storming out.

Mikey stood, dumbstruck for a few seconds before rushing out after Pete.

"Pete, wait!" He called out.

Pete whirled around. "The fuck do you want, Mikey?"

"Don't be _mad_ at me," Mikey said, biting his lip. "Please don't be."

Pete grimaced, but turned around and kept walking.

Mikey watched his friend walk away from him, still until Pete turned a corner. Mikey heaved a sigh and went back to the lunch room.

Mikey slumped into a seat next to his sibling as soon as he got to the table, and rested his head on Gee's shoulder.

"You okay, Mikes?" Gee asked.

"Mhm," Mikey said. "I'll tell you later."

Gerard nodded and patted their younger brother. "Okay."

\---

"Mikey!" Ray called to the younger boy. "Wait up!"

Mikey stopped walking and turned around to see Ray jogging down the hall to catch up with him.

"What's up?" Ray asked as he and Mikey began walking out of the school building.

"Nothing," Mikey said, waving a hand. "Something happened but it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Ray narrowed his eyes. "Whatever you say, Mikey. Hey, you wanna come over to my house? We can stop by your place and pick up your bass. We haven't played together in ages."

"Yes!" Mikey said, his mood brightening at the prospect of making some music with his best friend.

"C'mon, let's get going."

"I gotta tell Gee first," Mikey said.

The two boys headed around to the back of the school to where the parking lot was. In the shade of the building Mikey saw a figure sitting, head in their hands and knees pulled up to their chest.

"Patrick!" Mikey exclaimed and ran over to the older boy. "What are you doing back here? We didn't see you at lunch."

"Well I saw _you_ ," Patrick said bitterly.

"What?" Mikey said. "What do you mean?"

"You and Pete!" Patrick sighed. "Of course it was _you_ and Pete."

"Huh?" Ray said. "I'm missing something!"

"Mikey was making out with Pete!" Patrick explained, exasperated.

"I was _not,_ Pete _forced himself onto me_!" Mikey said, hands up in defence. "I didn't want to do anything, so I pushed him off. He probably hates me, but I was _scared._ "

"Oh." Patrick said shortly. "Sorry."

"You didn't do anything," Mikey said.

"So uh..." Ray said. "Patrick likes Pete, but Pete likes Mikey, and Mikey's—"

"Aromantic asexual," Mikey finished, averting his eyes from the other boys.

" _What?_ " Patrick said.

Mikey nodded, biting his lip. "Ray knows I'm ace, but... I-I just figured out I was aro a few days ago. Sorry," Mikey said, pushing his glasses up. "I wasn't ready to tell you."

"It's okay, Mikey," Ray said, hugging the younger boy.

"Yeah, Mikes," Patrick said, putting a hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"Hey, Patrick, wanna come over to Ray's house and make some music?" Mikey asked.

"Sure! Can I bring my guitar?"

All three boys grinned, something big was starting.

\---

"Anyone home?" Gerard called as they stepped into their house. Hearing no response, they shrugged and headed downstairs into their bedroom. They threw their bag onto their bed and sat down at his desk, opening their sketchbook. As they began searching through the mess on their desk for a pencil, they noticed something. The liquid eyeliner they'd left out that morning was missing. Frantic, worried their mother had cleaned up or something, Gerard checked the drawer they kept their other makeup in.

"Shit," they whispered to themself. _Empty._

"Gerard!" Their mom called from the living room. "Come upstairs, we need to talk to you!"

Panic rose in Gee's throat, their hands shaking slightly as they called back, "I'll be right up!"

They walked slowly, their legs threatening to give out as they climbed the stairs. Their mother beckoned to them when she saw them, motioning for them to sit down on the couch. Their dad was already seated in his armchair across from Gerard. Gee kept their head down, fiddling with a hole in their jeans where their pale skin showed through.

"Son," Gerard's father started harshly, demanding that Gerard look at him, and they immediately felt tears pricking at their eyes.

"Gerard," their mother said in a solemn voice, "I found some makeup in your room today, as well as some women's clothes."

Gerard opened their mouth to defend themself, but their father cut them off.

"I will not tolerate this in my household," he said. "I've put up with you being a _fag_ , but no son of mine will be seen in women's clothes! It's a disgrace!"

"I'm not your son!" Gerard said, voice strangled. Their head was pounding, _not again not again_. "I never have been!"

"Don't you start on that again, Gerard," their mother said, giving Gee a sharp glare. "You're a boy, I gave birth to you, I should know."

Gee yet again tried to protest, but their father continued. "You'd better stop this crossdressing phase, or you will be no longer welcome in this household."

"Wha— Mom, dad, you can't!" Gerard said, a tears welling in their eyes. "Why is it such a disgrace? Why are you angry about _who I am_?"

"Because it's not who you are, Gerard!" Their mother yelled. "I raised a _man_ , and you'll go to hell if you keep on this path!"

"Please!" Gerard wailed. "I can't change who I am, _and I am not a man_!"

"You are, and you _will_ change, unless you want to live on the streets!" Their dad snapped. "You're only here because we're willing to put up with a faggot under our roof. I will not allow my son to be a tranny."

Gerard sniffed, wiping away the tears on their face. "F-fine," they mumbled. "Give me until Friday to choose?"

"Fine," their mother said, "But on Friday you have to stop _all_ of this, or get out."

"Okay," Gerard sighed. "Okay."

"Now, go to your room," their father said.

Gerard obliged, shuffling back into the basement. Tears already staining their cheeks, Gerard collapsed onto the bed and sobbed into their pillow. They couldn't stand this, not anymore. It was hard enough when they came out as gay (they didn't even _try_ to explain pansexuality), but their parents had never before threatened to _kick them out_. But, they wouldn't be denied their identity any longer! They could leave, there was only one year left until they finished high school. They could do it...

But, Mikey.

Gee couldn't bring themself to leave Mikey. Their parents would probably make Mikey cut all ties with them, and Gee couldn't bear that. Their little brother was perhaps their closest friend, and they couldn't leave him here, especially with what Gee suspected. They wouldn't leave their queer sibling at the mercy of their parents.

So they couldn't leave. They would have to suck it up, stop wearing makeup and anything "feminine" in places their parents could see, stop wearing it at school. They wouldn't seek out a partner, they would disregard who _they were_.

 _It's just another year,_ they thought, but the statement held no hope. A year was too long for that.

Gerard's mind wandered to the bottle of pain medication in their bathroom. They knew there were more upstairs, if they didn't have enough... It would be easy. So fucking easy.

Gee screamed into their pillow between heaving sobs. They couldn't live like their parents wanted them to live.

_Son._

_Disgrace._

_I raised a man._

Gerard curled up on their side, tears subsiding slightly, and remained that way until they passed out with exhaustion. 

**\---**

**Many apologies to be made. First: _angst_. Second: It's been like a month since I updated??? Jesus, I need to get my act together. Hopefully it won't take as long for the next chapter... Third: This is short as hell, like Frank. Sorry.**

**Other things: Over 60 reads? Thank. Ily'all**

**Other other things: This (not this chapter but the whole thing) is by far the longest thing I've ever written and I'm very proud of it!!**

**ok bye bye. see you soon!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is all I have from my wattpad account. I'll be posting on both from now on, same content.


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